Monday, February 23, 2015

Using Social Media Professionally


In today’s extremely social world it is increasingly easy to connect with family, friends, co-workers and the community. The good news is that this gives those of us in education an opportunity to communicate, share and grow as educators in a way that did not previously exist. Using social media to build a professional learning network (PLN), reach out to students and families and connect to the community at large is fantastic, but it is also important to remember your personal online presence.
Fair or not, as an educator, your personal life is on display a bit more than the average person. Personal Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter accounts can still be seen publicly in many cases and educators should exercise caution in posting, liking, sharing, pinning and tweeting. But does this mean you can’t have a personal online presence? Absolutely not, but it does mean that you may need to take time to adjust your privacy settings and be aware of tagging others in your social media activity.
On Facebook, for example, you might be only sharing with those you have approved friendships with, but do you know the friends of your friends? Chances are, you don’t.  While you cannot control everything, it is wise to regulate your personal and professional online presence by changing your settings, reviewing postings, occasionally “Googling” yourself and using professional common sense in what you allow to be posted with your name attached.
If you have questions or concerns about the privacy settings on any of your accounts, see your Ed Tech or check out some of the helpful links below. Happy and safe posting to all!


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